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Loose Parts Play: What It Is and 30 Things to Collect

By Chaz Bagri6 November 20269 min read

A laughing girl kneels on a wooden floor among empty cardboard boxes.

Start loose parts play with 30 free or low-cost things to collect, clear safety checks, simple storage and ideas for home or nursery.

What is loose parts play, in plain English?

Loose parts play means giving children movable materials they can use however they choose: boxes become buildings, cloth becomes water and bowls become nests. There's no model to copy or single finished result. Start with a few household objects, then let your child decide what happens next, as Play Wales describes.

Simon Nicholson's theory links the variety of materials in an environment with its possibilities for invention.

How do you start with what you've already got?

For children aged 3 to 8, start with three kinds of object: something to build with, something to drape and something to put things in. Use what's already at home. The list below offers possibilities, not a checklist to complete or a guarantee that every found object is suitable.

A box, a tea towel and a bowl are enough for a first invitation. Offer them together and wait before suggesting a game.

Check before play. Inspect objects for loose fragments, sharp edges, splinters and places fingers could get trapped, following Play Wales' practical checklist. Wash reusable pieces and dry them before storage. If any child joining in has a food allergy, avoid tubs and packaging that held their allergen or whose previous contents are unknown. Anaphylaxis UK warns that reused containers can carry traces of allergens.

Keep small objects out of reach of under-3s and children who mouth things: the NHS warns that small objects can cause choking. Use these extra checks for each group:

Paper and card, items 1 to 8: skip if your child chews paper. Remove staples, plastic liners and loose decorations.
Fabric, items 9 to 14: use broad pieces without trailing threads, cords or ties. The NHS advises keeping ropes and cords away from babies and toddlers.
Household items, items 15 to 24: choose unbreakable pieces without cracks, sharp edges or detachable parts.
Nature and wood, items 25 to 30: skip if materials are mouthed. Reject splintering or crumbling pieces and unidentified plants. The NHS advises checking for poisonous plants.

Exclude button batteries and powerful magnets. If you think your child has swallowed either, go straight to accident and emergency (A&E), even without symptoms, as GOV.UK advises.

Which 30 things could you collect?

Work through the groups that suit your home: paper and card, fabric, household items, then nature and wood. Save things as they become available instead of buying the whole list. Each suggestion includes a possible starting point; your child can give the object a completely different job.

1. Small cardboard boxes

An empty box can be a garage or a home. Ask, "What could go inside?" Leave it undecorated so tomorrow's game can be different.

2. Shoebox lids

A lid makes a shallow base for a small scene. Say, "What's happening here?" It gives an arrangement an edge without fixing anything in place.

3. Cardboard tubes

Kitchen-roll tubes can become tunnels or towers. Ask, "What could travel through?" Try them upright and sideways to change the shape of the play.

4. Corrugated cardboard sheets

A flat sheet can be a roof, road or bridge. Say, "Where could this go?" Offer broad pieces that can be rearranged between boxes.

5. Brown packing paper

Packing paper can be spread flat or crumpled into scenery. Ask, "What does this remind you of?" Keep it loose for another idea later.

6. Plain paper envelopes

Envelopes can hold pretend letters or become houses when stood up. Ask, "Who lives here?" Their flaps give children something to open and close.

7. Old greeting cards

Folded cards can become signs, screens or little buildings. Say, "Shall we make a street?" Choose plain cards without batteries, badges or loose decorations.

8. Paper plates

A paper plate can be an island or a pretend steering wheel. Ask, "Where are we going?" It can change roles without being cut up.

9. Tea towels

A tea towel can mark out a picnic or cover a pretend stall. Say, "Where shall this go?" Its broad shape makes a useful backdrop.

10. Flannels

A flannel can be a tiny blanket or a parcel's wrapping. Ask, "What needs covering?" Fold it, roll it or lay it across a box.

11. Cloth napkins

Napkins can become fields, flags laid flat or layers in a landscape. Say, "Which way round?" Change the arrangement by folding or overlapping them.

12. Broad cotton offcuts

A cotton offcut can be a river or a pretend road. Ask, "Where does it lead?" Change the route by moving or folding the fabric.

13. Large felt sheets

A felt sheet can be a patch of grass or a roof. Say, "What belongs here?" Layer whole sheets instead of cutting out tiny decorations.

14. Small fleece pieces

A broad fleece piece can be snow or bedding for a pretend animal. Ask, "What could we make?" Try laying it flat, then folding it.

15. Plastic mixing bowls

A mixing bowl can be a nest or a pretend cooking pot. Say, "What goes in?" Its open shape leaves the contents up to your child.

16. Clean food tubs

A food tub can become a boat, shop counter or storage bay. Ask, "What's it carrying?" A different cargo can start a different story.

17. Sturdy plastic cups

A cup can be a tower or a container for sorting. Say, "What could fit?" Turn it over to give it a completely different job.

18. Silicone muffin moulds

A muffin mould can hold collections in separate spaces. Ask, "What belongs together?" Leave your child to choose the grouping rather than naming a rule.

19. Shallow plastic trays

A tray can be a stage or a base for a landscape. Say, "What happens here?" It also lets an unfinished arrangement stay together.

20. Wooden spoons

A spoon can be a puppet or a tool for pretend cooking. Ask, "Who could this be?" A voice gives it a character without decoration.

21. Silicone spatulas

A spatula can be a paddle for an imaginary boat. Say, "Where are we sailing?" Add a box and let your child invent the journey.

22. Plastic scoops

A scoop can move suitable pieces between containers. Ask, "Where shall these go?" Keep the destination open: a shop, a kitchen or something entirely different.

23. Large plastic funnels

A funnel can become a tower roof or an entrance to a tunnel. Ask, "What shape could it make?" It doesn't need water or filling.

24. Plastic colanders

A colander can be a pretend basket or a dome in a landscape. Say, "What could go underneath?" Its shape offers another way to build.

25. Large smooth stones

A large stone can be a mountain in a tabletop landscape. Ask, "Where does the path go?" Arrange stones on the surface rather than stacking.

26. Chunky fallen sticks

Sticks can outline roads or fence a pretend field. Say, "Where's the entrance?" Arrange them flat and move the boundaries as the story changes.

27. Large pinecones

A pinecone can stand for a tree or a woodland character. Ask, "What lives nearby?" Combine it with cloth and boxes to change the setting.

28. Fallen leaves

Leaves can become a forest floor or a pattern. Say, "How shall we arrange these?" Offer different shapes and let your child choose the order.

29. Large pieces of bark

A broad piece of bark can become a pretend roof or woodland path. Ask, "Where could this lead?" Move it to change the scene.

30. Smooth untreated wood offcuts

A wood offcut can be a wall or a bridge support. Say, "What could stand here?" Offer chunky, smooth pieces without nails, coatings or splinters.

How do you store it when space is tight?

Use a small tray for today's selection and a reserve box for the rest. Keep the reserve out of younger children's reach, as you would older children's toys with small parts. Give anything awaiting cleaning or repair a separate place so it doesn't drift back into play.

Label compartments with pictures of paper, fabric, containers and natural materials. Keep only what fits your storage space, and replace damaged pieces instead of letting the collection spread.

For a nursery, try a simple rotation note: what children used, what they asked for and what you'll offer next. For example, keep boxes and cloth available, then add tubes when children start making tunnels. Leave an ongoing construction in place where possible. Rotate because the play needs something, rather than clearing everything away for a new weekly theme.

What if the tray gets ignored?

Put it away if your child doesn't want it. You can offer a different collection another day, or join in without asking them to produce anything. An invitation to play doesn't need a result, and you don't need to persuade them that your idea is fun.

If they ask what to do, begin with a small action: tuck a flannel into a box or stand a card beside it. Then pause and leave the next move to them.

Skip the quiz about colours and counting. Follow the story, or sit alongside without a running commentary. Our guide to encouraging independent play has more ways to begin together.

Which loose parts work well together?

Choose a small handful of materials that can take on different roles. You don't need to prepare a finished scene or explain what everything represents. These combinations are starting invitations: put the pieces together, offer a prompt if wanted, then follow your child's version.

A tabletop landscape: a cloth, three large stones and two boxes. Ask where a path might go. The boxes can become buildings, hills or something else entirely.
A little post office: envelopes, plain cards and a box. Start a pretend delivery, then let your child decide who sends the letters and where they arrive.
A sorting station: bowls, cups and flannels. Invite your child to fill, empty or arrange them, choosing their own system rather than copying an example.

If you have 10 minutes, try two to set out, six to play and two to pack away. Continue another time if there's more to invent.

For a movement break after building, explore our children's yoga mat. It has 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface and is designed for ages 3 to 8.

Frequently asked questions

What age is loose parts play suitable for?

Loose parts play can suit different ages, but the materials need to match the child. This collection is aimed at ages 3 to 8. For under-3s, keep small parts and long cords out of reach, as the Child Accident Prevention Trust advises. A birthday doesn't make a tiny object safe.

Do you need a special loose parts play set?

No. Start with suitable things you already own, such as a mixing bowl, a tea towel and a cardboard box. Choose objects that can be used in different ways. Buying a coordinated collection is optional; matching colours and wooden finishes aren't what make the play open-ended.

What can children learn from loose parts play?

Loose parts play offers opportunities to make choices, experiment and imagine. Play Scotland highlights creativity and problem-solving among its benefits. For example, your child could change a cardboard bridge after it falls. The learning comes through trying ideas, without needing a finished model.

What does loose parts mean in EYFS?

In the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), loose parts means the same movable, adaptable materials used elsewhere. The EYFS applies in England, and GOV.UK explains that children learn largely through games and play. Our guide to the EYFS areas of learning puts that in context. At home, you can simply follow your child's idea.

Sources

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